Conventional information technology enables access to distinguishable records of information that are each stored at separately addressable locations of an electronic medium. For example, a record, a page of data, may be stored at a physical location on an optical or magnetic disk memory, wherein the physical location has a physical address that is distinguishable from all other physical addresses of other physical memory locations of the disk memory.
Certain conventional methods for managing software databases include generating logical page indexes that may be configured to include a plurality of logical page index pairs, wherein each logical page index pair has a logical page number and a physical page location address. Each logical index pair is typically meant to reference a same record that is stored at a physical location of an electronic medium. An information technology system may employ a logical page index to fetch a record, or a page of records, from an electronic medium and to a system memory. For example, the information technology system may select a logical page index pair that includes a particular logical page number, and then read a record that is stored at physical page location of a disk memory that is referenced by the physical page location address of the selected index pair.
When a logical page index pair stores a corrupted logical page number or an incorrect physical page location, an accessing information technology system may be unable to read a requested page of information from a relevant electronic medium by direct reference to the instant index pair.
Where the electronic medium is rewritable, physical page locations may be made available for overwriting and storing new information. The prior art employs a free page map to inform an information technology system of which physical page locations are available for writing in new pages, records or information. The prior art fails, however, to optimally employ free page maps for use in repairing corrupted references between logical page numbers and physical page locations.
The prior art includes U.S. Pat. No. 7,263,596 (Wideman, et al., issued on Aug. 28, 2007) that discloses a logical library architecture for data storage applications and methods of use; U.S. Pat. No. 7,240,178 (Nakada, et al., issued on Jul. 3, 2007) that teaches a non-volatile memory and a non-volatile memory data rewriting method; U.S. Pat. No. 7,219,187 (Khanna, et al., issued on May 15, 2007) that describes a search parameter table in a content addressable memory; U.S. Pat. No. 7,143,119 (Furukawa, et al., issued on Nov. 28, 2006) that presents a storage managing computer and program recording medium therefore; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,505,268 (Schultz, et al., issued on Jan. 7, 2003) that discloses data distribution in a disk array.
The prior art further includes United States Patent Application Publication No. 20070226412 (Morino, Harumi, et al., published on Sep. 27, 2007) that describes an information storage device, a controller for an information storage device, and an information storage device control method; United States Patent Application Publication No. 20040128469 (Hall, Clifford D., et al., published on Jul. 1, 2004) that teaches a mechanism for remapping post virtual machine memory pages; and United States Patent Application Publication No. 20040054850 (Fisk, David C., published on Mar. 18, 2004) that presents context sensitive storage management.
There is therefore a long-felt need to improve the repairing of corrupted data record references in software data base management systems and methods.
Each and every patent and patent application mentioned in this disclosure, to include U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,263,596; 7,240,178; 7,219,187; 7,143,119; and 6,505,268; and United States Patent Application Publication No.'s 20070226412; No. 20040128469; and 20040054850 is incorporated by reference in the patent application in their entirety and for all purposes.